Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller has taken to Twitter to poke fun at Android over malware issues. Schiller simply tweeted “Be safe out there” and linked to the Mobile Threat Report from Q4 2012 from F-Secure, which talks about security issues in mobile software. According to the report, threats to Android accounted for 79% of 301 specific threats in 2012. F-Secure said that 96 new families of malware for Anroid surfaced in 2012 alone:

Android malware has been strengthening its position in the mobile threat scene. Every quarter, malware authors bring forth new threat families and variants to lure more victims and to update on the existing ones. In the fourth quarter alone, 96 new families and variants of Android threats were discovered, which almost doubles the number recorded in the previous quarter. A large portion of this number was contributed by PremiumSMS—a family of malware that generates profit through shady SMS-sending practices—which unleashed 21 new variants.

iOS accounted for just 0.7% of threats posed to mobile operating systems. Apple usually reserves taking shots at the competition for official events. This jab from Schiller is relatively low-key, simply linking to a third-party report on mobile security. There’s no condemnation of Android in Schiller’s message. No marketing push. Just Phil Schiller having some fun with the competition.

Reader comments

Kind of like the pot calling out the kettle. Shouldn't Apple solve their problems with a lack of lock screen security before they point out Android's malware failures? I love iOS and don't mind the bickering that goes on in the software space but hypocrisy drives me nuts 100% of the times that it's tried.

Not really the same thing. Yes iOS has a passcode bypass issue but that isn't the same as a Malware on your device.

IMO, with mobile banking becoming the way most handle their banking. People need to start treating their phone like their wallet. You wouldn't lay your wallet down and walk away so why would you do that to your phone? I have yet to understand how someone gets their phone stolen other than at gun point. Haven't used a passcode and will never use one. Too much information on my phone to treat it as just a phone.

I think what Shiller is pointing out is that there is a greater threat to users by just downloading an application. Not the same as someone being irresponsible with something that contains so much information.

I'm not saying they're exactly the same. However, in these sorts of disputes companies never stay on topic and link other features into things like security.

As for mobile banking, not many smartphones have NFC chips so the point is a red herring. And as for people leaving their phones around, I guess you've never been to an office where folks leave their phones on their desks charging while they're at the restroom or talking with people. Happens all the time. This type of behavior is not going to happen in pubic, but it doesn't mean doesn't happen at all.

Mobile banking as in the apps. People are moving away from using their PC to pay bills and such. So no, it's not trying to draw attention away from the issue. It's bringing the issue into the light. People use phones nowadays for more than just talking. Much more secure information is on a phone than there ever has been.

Do those same people leave their wallet lying on the desk when they are talking or going to use the restroom? It's the same thing, It's something that contains personal information. Banking info, passwords, ect. They need to be responsible with that information the same as they are with their wallet or purse. If someone leaves their phone on the desk and walks away and a coworker steals it, tough luck. That's being irresponsible, no two ways about it. You don't leave the keys in your car when it's cold outside so it can stay warm while you run into the market.

If Apple or any of the other OS makers didn't have a lockscreen password available to it's users they would be stoned. It's there because people think they need it to protect themselves when in actuality it's there so the OS makers don't get sued. Be responsible with something that contains personal information. Would you think it's right for someone to be able to sue Apple or Samsung because they left their phone unattended in public (this includes work) and their info was stollen, simply because a lockscreen password didn't work?

To exploit the lockscreen bug of an iOS device (not sure if it's phone only or if it also affects ipads and iPods) you need to actually grab it...to get all the info from an android phone you need not even be in the same continent as said phone...malware is waaaay worse than physical access bugs.

Sure. And for consumers, any OS is safe enough when used with some common sense. But for enterprise settings WP and Blackberry are the only ones that make sense security wise. Unsurprisingly, I am seeing growing interest in WP from corporate buyers in particular.